Understanding the Origin and Early History of the Universe:

Summary:

FIRST and Planck are part of a single ESA program to study the Far-infrared and microwave sky planned for launch in early 2007.  Scientifically these satellites address the highest priorities in astrophysics. Planck promises to map the entire Cosmic Background Radiation at all scientifically interesting wavelengths and angular scales, and will thereby provide answers to the most fundamental questions about the origin and final fate of the Universe.  FIRST, will provide a breakthrough in high spatial and spectral resolution imaging in the far-infrared and sub-millimeter range, which will result in the discovery of the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang as well as a wealth of information on the formation and evolution of galaxies, the structure of our own Galaxy, and the nature of comets.The combination of FIRST and Planck has extraordinary capabilities, far beyond other experiments being considered at similar wavelengths.

Background:

The recent report by the Space Studies board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences rated the number one priority in all of astronomy to be the "determination of the geometry and content of the Universe by measurement of the fine-scale anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background".   The number two priority is the "investigation of galaxies near the time of their formation at very high redshift".

There is an exciting opportunity for Canada to become involved in both of these endeavors through joining the FIRST/Planck program. 

The Missions:

• Planck is a dedicated Cosmic Background Radiation experiment designed to image the minute temperature variations in the CBR over the whole sky with unprecedented accuracy and spectral resolution.  It is part of ESA's Horizon 2000 Scientific Program.
• FIRST, the Far Infra-Red and Sub-mm Telescope, is a Cornerstone ESA mission that will perform photometry and spectroscopy in the 85 to 600 micron wavelength range.  It will have a 3.5m diameter telescope and will hold three sophisticated instruments inside a super-fluid helium cryostat.  These instruments will allow views of our own Galaxy and of the most distant galaxies with incredible sensitivity at wavelengths which are unobservable from the ground.

Scientific profiles of  Planck  and of  FIRST  follow in separate chapters.

ESA considers these two satellites to be part of the same scientific program and plans to launch them into separate orbits near the Earth-Sun lagrange point L2 in the first quarter of 2007.  L2 is an extraordinarily good site for a telescope.  It orbits the sun outside the Earth's and the Moon's orbits,  offering stable and dark observations.  Neither the Earth, the Sun nor the Moon ever come into the field of view, so very long observations are possible.

The Opportunity for Canadian Involvement:

This program is cost-capped at 630M Euros, and ESA is actively seeking partners. Canadian scientists have been invited to take part in Planck and in two of the three instruments on FIRST (HIFI, a high resolution heterodyne receiver and SPIRE, a bolometer-based imaging spectrometer).  An Ad-hoc scientific committee consisting of Mark Halpern, Dick Bond, Gary Davis, Douglas Scott and Christine Wilson is coordinating CSA sponsored studies of  possible industrial contributions to these four instruments as well as to the spacecrafts, and examining the range of options for participation of Canadian scientists in these experiments. 

FIRST Planck Science meeting in May

A broad-based public meeting to explore the scientific opportunities presented by this program, to review the results of these studies and to evaluate proposed modes of scientific collaboration with ESA is scheduled to take place on Monday, 17 May in Vancouver. There may be some funds available for travel (in light of the long lead time to launch, this funding will be preferentially given to young scientists with little access to travel support). Details of the meeting will follow in the CASCA mailer, or contact any of the people listed below. In the meantime, please keep the date open.

	Mark Halpern is an Associate Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of British Columbia. He is currently chair of the JSSA. His research interests involve experiments in the microwave region to study the CMB spectrum and anisotropies. He is PI of the Balloon-borne Anisotropy Measurement (BAM) and is a member of the Science Team of the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP).
	Douglas Scott is an Assistant Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of British Columbia. His is a theoretical cosmologist who studies structure formation in the Universe, particular through CMB signatures. He is also actively involved in sub-mm observations and data analysis for studying high redshift dusty galaxies.
	Christine Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at McMaster University. She is currently on sabbatical at Caltech. Her research interests are centered on the interstellar medium and star formation in nearby galaxies, using a wide variety of optical and radio telescopes. She is also one of six Canadian project scientists on the astronomical satellite ODIN.

Long Range Planning Panel   Proposal for a wide-field 8 metre telescope   Tables of Contents